52 Super Series: Victory in Valencia – Season win for “Platoon Aviation”

Harm Müller-Spreer’s “Platoon Aviation” went into the fifth and final event of the year as the leader of the 52 Super Series standings. With an eleven-point lead over Takashi Okura’s US yacht “Sled”, the only German TP entered the five-day series. Owner and helmsman Harm Müller-Spreer had said before the first starting signal: “We’re feeling good.” I think we can win. "That is the ultimate goal we set ourselves at the start of the season."

52 Super Series: second win of the season for “Platoon Aviation” following 2023

Eight races later, the hard-fought season victory had been secured. “Platoon Aviation” came out clearly on top in its head-to-head battle with the Botín sister yacht “Sled”. Harm Müller-Spreer’s team finished third in Valencia with 45 points, behind “Alkedo Cetilar” (Italy, 36 points) and “No Way Back” (Netherlands, 43 points). This meant that “Platoon Aviation” were even able to extend their lead in the overall standings at the showdown in the former America’s Cup venue.

“Platoon Aviation” won the 52 Super Series season title with a total of 216 points, a near-record 30-point lead over “Sled” (246 points) and “Alkedo Cetilar” (253 points). “No Way Back” finished fourth in the season with 277 points, ahead of the Swedish yacht “Trinity” (290 points). A record field of 16 powerful TP yachts ensured the finale of the 15th season of the 52 Super Series was of the very highest standard.

The preliminary decision to their second win of the season since 2023 – level on points at the time with the Turkish “Provezza” – had already been decided in “Platoon Aviation’s” favour in the three races on the penultimate day, when the German team, with its international crew, briefly lost its rhythm following match-race attacks from “Sled”, it subsequently re-established its commanding lead with fourth and fifth places, whilst things simply didn’t go the “Sled” crew’s way.

“Platoon Aviation: ultimately, the undisputed champions”

“In the end, it was all decided yesterday. We had three races then. Today, it wasn’t at all certain whether anything would even go ahead. Once it became clear that there would only be one more race, we really didn’t need to sail at all, because the points gap was so big by then,” said three-time TP52 world champion Harm Müller-Spreer, summarising the events on the final day. The season’s performance also spoke in favour of “Platoon Aviation”: “We’ve always been close to the podium.”

Harm Müller-Spreer’s review in detail: “I think we only finished fourth once this season. We even won once. And, in truth, we should have won Lanzarote 1 as well, where we were in the lead in four races before the spinnaker burst or the winches blew. But that’s all part of the game.” The team is now also satisfied with the Botin design following a great deal of optimisation work and changes across the board.

"We were absolutely brilliant in strong winds. We also coped well in light winds. We’ve actually got the hang of how to sail now." Harm Müller-Spreer

Harm Müller-Spreer is particularly proud of his team’s performance, especially given the calibre of their opponents. The Hamburg-based entrepreneur and the most successful “owner/driver” in the 52 Super Series explained with a smile: “Our main rival was a team made up entirely of professionals. The owner wasn’t even there. Adam Beashel was at the helm, Francesco Bruni was in charge of tactics, and Murry Jones has won the America’s Cup seven times. On paper, that was the best team. It was great that we had them so well under control.”

What makes the 52 Super Series so appealing

For Team Sled, the Valencia showdown proved to be a correspondingly disappointing farewell. The team will no longer be competing in the 52 Super Series next year. However, Harm Müller-Spreer has no concerns about the impressive size of the fleet. On the contrary, as he says: “Two new boats are being built and it looks as though we’ll probably start the new season with 15 boats next year.” Harm Müller-Spreer attributed his team’s victory this season primarily to their sailing performance.

"In the end, it was the ones who sailed the best who won." Harm Müller-Spreer

For the Hamburg native, who – following this TP triumph – is heading to another top-level sailing event later this year, the Dragon World Championship in Hong Kong from 21 to 29 November, the 52 Super Series remains highly attractive. What is it that makes it so appealing to him? “Ultimately, it’s the best boat technically in the monohull category. That’s just the way it is. It’s like a large dinghy. Of all the classes worldwide, it is by far the most professionally run, sailed and managed. In the 52 Super Series, we have 50 staff members at regattas who look after it.”

Harm Müller-Spreer says that, from a sporting perspective, the 52 Super Series is also a unique series. In his view: “There are no amateurs here. The appeal lies in beating the supposedly best in the world who compete here. Just sailing against them is a great experience.” And that’s exactly how it will be in 2027, when the series kicks off its new 16th season – for the first time in its history – with two events in Thailand. The TPs will be shipped there in November.

Replay! The final race of the 52 Super Series season finale in Valencia: